Research progress on the disturbance mechanism, evaluation methods, and control measures of soft clay sampling

Soft clay, due to its high moisture content, strong compressibility, and high sensitivity, is easily disturbed during the sampling process, resulting in significant changes in the strength and deformation characteristics of the soil. Understanding the mechanical mechanism of sampling disturbance, reducing the impact of sampling disturbance, and conducting a reasonable evaluation of sample quality are of great significance for determining representative soil parameters in engineering design. For this purpose, the research progress related to disturbance in soft clay sampling at home and abroad was summarized, including mechanical mechanisms of sampling disturbance, macroscopic and microscopic manifestations of sampling disturbance effects, sample quality evaluation methods, and control measures to reduce disturbance. Research has shown that there are abundant research results on the macroscopic mechanical mechanisms of sampling disturbances, but there is a lack of corresponding microscopic experimental evidence and microscopic mechanism analysis to support the macroscopic results; Most of the existing quality evaluation indicators are aimed at clay, and the applicability to low-plasticity intermediate soils such as silty clay and silt is questionable. Currently, there is still no unified quality evaluation system for soil samples with different properties. The reconsolidation methods can effectively reduce the mechanical disturbance during the soil sampling process, but it cannot restore the soil structure damaged by additional disturbance. Based on this, this article proposes four suggestions and prospects for future research.